FIJI Sun publisher Russell Hunter was deported yesterday despite an order issued by the High Court to stop his expulsion.
This action by the interim regime has drawn local and international condemnation of not only the deportation but the threat to media freedom in Fiji.
Mr Hunter, an Australian citizen, was taken from his home at 8pm on Monday and kept in custody until he was placed on the 9am flight out of Nadi to Sydney.
He had only $20 in his pocket and the clothes on his back at the time.
A statement issued by the interim Government said Mr Hunter was a prohibited immigrant.
"This declaration follows a proper investigation by the relevant authorities, which clearly established that Mr Hunter was conducting himself in a manner prejudicial to the peace, defence, public safety, public order, security and stability of the sovereign state of the Fiji Islands," the statement said.
"As the recipient of a work permit from the Government of Fiji, it was incumbent upon Mr Hunter to be vigilant of his status as a foreign national resident and working in Fiji.
"Mr Hunter has clearly violated the terms and conditions of his status in Fiji under the immigration laws of Fiji and the Department of Immigration has accordingly exercised it statutory responsibility in getting him declared a prohibited immigrant."
The High Court injunction prohibiting Mr Hunter's deportation was signed by Justice Jiten Singh.
It ordered the Director of Immigration, his servants, officers and agents or whosoever and howsoever to restrain from removing or deporting Mr Hunter out of Fiji.
It restrained the Director of Immigration from acting in any manner in the purported revocation of Mr Hunter's permit to enter and live in Fiji until a further order of the court.
It said that if the Director of Immigration, his officers and the Attorney- General of Fiji and/or their servants or agents disobeyed the order, they would be liable "to the process of execution of purpose of compelling you to obey the same".
Mr Hunter's lawyer, Suruj Sharma was in a meeting yesterday afternoon and could not confirm when the injunction had been delivered to the Immigration Department, the interim Attorney-General and the other agents.
But a source at Nadi Airport said they received a call from a High Court clerk in Suva saying there was a court order to stop the flight.
The source said officials received a phone call from a lawyer saying the same thing.
But the source said these officials spoke to the wrong people who had no power to stop the flight and off-load Mr Hunter.
The 9am Air Pacific flight FJ911 left 15 minutes late because of "operational reasons".
Airports Fiji Ltd chief executive officer Ratu Timoci Tuisawau could not be reached for a comment.
At Sydney several hours later, Mr Hunter told waiting reporters there he believed that he was deported because the Fiji Sun published accounts of the interim Finance Minister's failure to pay his taxes on time.
"The trouble is there is no law in Fiji, the law is what certain people say it is on any given day, and if you don't like it, then you can argue that at length," he said.
"It's leading to chaos, it's leading to economic chaos, the Fiji economy is in a shocking mess, the natural disaster of the cyclone recently absolutely has not helped, and it is difficult to see where the end of it is," he told journalists.
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